tollie.org/blog thoughts and reflections of Tollie Williams

J.K. on Pottercast (Not J/K!)

My favorite Harry Potter podcast (and the more intelligent of the two big ones) just scored a two-show skyped-sit-down with the author herself. Wow. From what I can tell, J.K. Rowling really appreciates their commitment to the fun of the series for fans, and it sounds like she probably has listened to more than just a few of their podcasts. (Now that's an endorsement.)

In the interview, she definitely comes across as a real (very real) down to earth person. In fact, it's almost like listening to a "just another fan" who's found some hidden book of backstories that you haven't read yet when you listen to her, except this fan is particularly well spoken and witty. She's seems most real when you can hear the genuine frustration in her voice about dealing with legal matters and lawyers. She celebrates getting one over on her own lawyers, and she sighs twice at the specter of an ongoing matter surfaces when talking about her upcoming encyclopedic work.

For those who don't know, the ongoing matter (at least, the one that is public) is concerning the book form publication of Steve Vander Ark's fan site hp-lexicon.org. It sounds like (I'm doing some major reading between the lines here) Steve and J.K. both want the book published, but J.K.'s lawyers have told her that if she allows it, it will endanger her intellectual property rights. Currently, the book's publication has been halted through force of court order until Feb'08 when they meet in court again.

Both sides: J.K.'s News (direct link). Steve's News (no direct link, scroll down to "more from Jo")

As for me, my thoughts? I don't see why J.K. can't just "license" the use of whatever her lawyers tell her is her intellectual property for $1 to Steve. All the information is already available on hp-lexicon.org and no lawyers seem to be going after it. In fact, J.K. (in the past) frequently endorsed the site. I would think that by giving the book the "official" moniker all would be well, and Steve could publish his compendium and commentary, still leaving J.K. free to publish her conclusive and complete encyclopedic work when she feels she's ready.

But what do I know? Here's the link to the podcast (may I suggest digging it first?): Pottercast.com

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